vape Yeah,
it's really a word, a verb (also, vaping) for
"inhaling and exhaling the vapor from an
e-cigarette." As with smoking cigarettes, it's an
addiction that sucks. See e-cigarette. Also see
vapid, below

vehicle
Overstated, vague jargon. Simplify. Be specific if possible.
If it's a car, write car or even Toyota
Celica. If it's a bus, write bus or
trolley bus or Greyhound bus. If it's
truck, write truck or pickup truck or
tow truck. And so on.

venal, venial
Sometimes confused adjectives with distinct differences. Use
venal to describe someone who can be bribed or
corrupted easily (a venal politician) and something
affected by bribery or corruption (a venal tax
break). Use venial to describe a minor offense
that may be forgiven or an error or fault that may be excused
or overlooked.

venue
Pretentious, vague jargon, unless you're using the legal
expression change of venue. Simplify. Be specific
when possible. If it's a theater, write theater.
If it's a stadium, write stadium. And so on, or
use words like location, place, setting or
site

verbiage Sometimes misused and
misspelled. It's "an excess of words," not
simply "words, diction" or "wording."
Consider using simpler wordiness instead. But if you
must use it, don't misspell it as verbage, and
don't use the redundant excess verbiage. See
concise, redundancy.

verbs A verb
is a word that expresses existence, action or occurrence.

Follow this spelling rule when adding ed and
ing to form the present participle and past tense of
a verb: If the stress in pronunciation is on the first
syllable, do not double the consonant: offer, offered,
offering. If the stress in pronunciation is on the
second syllable, double the consonant unless confusion would
result.

Use a singular verb form after each, either, everybody,
everyone, neither, nobody, no one, somebody, someone:
Although both candidates oppose the tax cut, neither has
said much about it. No one in my work group likes his
policies. See none.

Use a plural verb when the word and joins two or
more nouns in a compound subject. Exceptions to this rule
include compound subjects qualified by each or
every and certain familiar compound phrases, often
cliches: Every engineer and planner in the company is
getting a bonus. Fish and chips is one of his favorite
meals.

A singular subject takes singular verbs even if it is
connected to other nouns by along with, as well as, at
least, besides, except, in addition to, no less than,
together with and with: The artist, together with
her roommates, is donating her earnings to the charity.
See as well as; in addition to; along with, together
with.

versus
Spell it out in quotations and in ordinary speech and
writing: The committee talked about the proposal to
revise the project versus proposals to reevaluate the entire
construction program. In short expressions, however, the
abbreviation vs. is OK: The issue of taxes vs.
services has long been with us.

very Use
very only when its emphasis isn't already
suggested in the word(s) it's modifying. Using it may be
redundant, if not silly: Her death was very tragic.
Where emphasis is necessary, use stronger, more descriptive
words or be more precise: Her death at age 17 was
tragic. See hyphen;
real, really.

Veterans
Day Capitalize. No apostrophe according to the U.S.
statute establishing the legal holiday to honor all men and
women who have served in the U.S. armed forces. Since 1978,
it's been celebrated on Nov. 11. Veterans Day was
originally called Armistice Day to honor people who
served in World War I. The U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs, formerly the Veterans Administration,
also takes no apostrophe. For the U.S. holiday honoring men
and women who died while serving in the country's armed
forces, see Memorial
Day.

via It means
"by way of" [a place], not "by means of."
Use via (or simpler through or by)
to show the direction of a journey: Their trip went from
Seattle to Cancun via Houston. Don't use
via to show the means by which someone makes a
journey: She made the trip via train. Instead:
She made the trip by train. See by means of.

viable It
means "capable of living." Overused and misused in
references to options, alternatives, plans, products and
actions. Instead, consider dropping it or using feasible,
lasting, workable, possible, practical or
promising.

vice Use two
words and no hyphen when naming a position: vice
president, vice principal. Capitalize the title only
when it comes directly before the name of a person: Vice
Principal Jay Laplander, Vice President Dick Chicanery; Jay
Laplander, vice principal; the vice president, Dick
Chicanery.

vice
versa Two words. Sometimes misused. It means
"just the opposite" or "the other way
around," not "something different." If your
readers could misunderstand the Latin phrase, try try using
in reverse, just the opposite or the other way
around.

videocassette recorder Use
on first reference. VCR is acceptable on second
reference.

virgule
(/) Avoid using the virgule--also called a
slash, forward slash, diagonal or
slant--to stand for omitted words or letters.
Examples include per in 33,000 tons/year,
to in price/earnings ratio, or in
his/her and oral/written tests,
versus in parent/child issues, with in
table/mirror, w/o for without and
c/o for in care of. The virgule may replace
and in some compound terms: the
Vancouver/Portland area, the January/February issue, an
active classroom/laboratory. Using and,
however, may be less ambiguous. When using the virgule,
don't separate the punctuation mark from adjacent words
or numbers with spaces. Also, avoid using virgules (or
hyphens) with numerals to give dates, especially if your
readers could confuse the order of the day and month:
2/11/94, 11-16-1993.

The virgule may be used to separate the numerator from the
denominator in numbers containing fractions.

Use the virgule --or forward slash--in internet addresses:
http://http://home.comcast.net/~garbl/. Use the
backslash (one word)--\--for writing commands in DOS
and computer directories. See World Wide
Web.

virtually Overstated. Try
omitting, or use simpler almost or nearly
instead.

waiter The
person who takes orders and brings food in a restaurant is a
waiter or server, not a waitress,
waitperson, waitron or member of the waitstaff.
Neither the job title nor the quality of the service depends
on the sex of the server.

waive, waiver, wave,
waver Sometimes confused. The verb
waive and noun waiver are about
"voluntarily giving up a right, claim, privilege or
advantage." Use the verb wave to describe the
motion of a hand or flag. The verb waver means
"to be uncertain, indecisive or unsteady."

war "War is
hell," said Civil War General William T. Sherman, no
matter what it's called. Avoid euphemisms like armed
conflict, armed intervention, a military solution, police
action, uprising, use of force. Capitalize the word when
part of the name for a specific war: World War I, World
War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the failed Vietnam War,
the endless Gulf War. Also, if one country invades or
attacks another country, there's no war until the other
country starts defending itself, as it has a right to do. See
nuclear, nuke; weapons of mass destruction, WMD

Also, avoid diluting the meaning and realities of
war by using that word in terms like war on
drugs, war on women, and war on religion.
Instead, reserve war for referring to battles of one
country's military against another country or
countries--and against its own people.

warrantee,
warranty Often confused. A warranty is
a written guarantee, but don't confuse the
spellings. A warrantee is the person who's given
a warranty or warrant. Also, although
guarantee can be used a verb, warranty is
only a noun.

wary, weary,
leery Sometimes confused. Use wary to
mean "cautious about problems or dangers" Use
weary to mean "very tired or worn-out" and
"bored with." A synonym of wary, use
leery (not leary) to mean "worried and
unable to trust someone or something; suspicious."

Washington's Birthday
Capitalize birthday when naming the official U.S.
holiday, called Presidents Day by some states and
organizations to also honor President Lincoln and other
presidents. Washington was born on Feb. 22, but the legal
federal holiday is the third Monday in February. See
Presidents
Day.

was,
were Use was to state a fact: He
was planning a vacation trip to Kauai. I was hoping to go
too. But use the subjunctive verb were to
express a nonexistent, desirable, hypothetical or far-fetched
condition--even with a singular subject like I or
he. If I were a rich man, I'd move to Kauai.
If he were to plan a vacation trip, he'd go to
Kauai.

we Use the
editorial we (as well as us and
our) when those words stand for the authors of a
collaborative work. Use of those words is also acceptable to
refer to an organization and its organizational elements and
programs, especially in quotations, opinion pieces and
informal publications, and to avoid redundancy and wordiness.
Make sure it's clear who we, us and our
is. Don't use the pretentious we when writing
about yourself or for one person. Instead, use I, me,
my and mine. See I; pronouns; us, we; you.

weapons
Other guidebooks provide more than enough advice for using
weapons and weapons terminology appropriately.

weapons of mass destruction,
WMD Potentially misused. If used, these nuclear,
biological or chemical weapons would cause overwhelming
devastation and loss of life among both civilians and
military personnel. The United States and at least eight
other countries build, sell and threaten to use them to boost
the egos of their leaders, enrich the bank accounts of arms
manufacturers, and overthrow countries that have natural
resources they desire.

Avoid using the abbreviation WMD; it minimizes the
death and destruction that would come after use of these
deadly weapons. Instead, shorten the phrase using nuclear
weapons, chemical weapons or biological
weapons. See nuclear, nuke;
war.

well Hyphenate
as part of a compound modifier before the noun it's
describing: He is a well-dressed man. But the hyphen
may be eliminated when the modifying words come after the
noun they're describing: She is well dressed.
See good, well;
hyphen.

Western Washington
Capitalize the name of the state region west of the Cascade
Mountains. Also capitalize the region east of the Cascades:
Eastern Washington.

wet, whet Often
confused or misused. Use whet to mean
"sharpen" or "stimulate": to whet a
knife (with a whetstone) or to whet an
appetite -- even when your mouth is watering for
something tasty. As a verb, wet means "to
moisten." When someone wets his whistle,
he's having a drink.

what Sentences,
clauses and phrases beginning with the pronoun what
commonly take singular verbs when what is about
"the thing that." They may take plural verbs,
however, when what is about "the things
that": What I long for is butterflies--if
you're longing for butterflies as a group. What I
long for are butterflies--if you're longing for
butterflies in all their beautiful variations. Also,
beginning a sentence with what adds needless words.
Delete it and simplify: I long for butterflies.
I long for the butterflies. Finally, because
what is often the first word in a question,
beginning a sentence that's not a question with
what may confuse some readers.

whence
Formal. Try using from where or from which
instead. But if you use whence, drop the redundant
from; it's included in the meaning of
whence.

where ... at, where ...
to Adding the prepositions at or
to is redundant. Drop the unnecessary prepositions
in sentences like these: Do you know where the hammer is
at? He doesn't know where the concert is at? Where do you
think you're going to? The phrase where it's
at is slang best used when talkin' with your buddies
about what's cool, what's in and what's
happenin', man!

whether or
not The words or not are not always
necessary--because they're suggested in whether.
When writing about a choice between doing something and not
doing something, drop or not--or use if:
She does not know whether the candidate will support the
proposal. She does not know if the candidate will support the
proposal. To stress the alternative, however, adding
or not can be useful: The City Council will
consider the offer whether or not it is cost effective.
Usually, it's best to keep whether or not
together, especially if or not would be separated
from whether by a long description of the
alternative: The City Council will consider the offer
whether it is cost effective or not.

while Avoid
the indiscriminate, ambiguous use of this word for and,
but and although. While is best used
to mean when or as a simpler word for at the
same time or during the time that. See
awhile, a while.

white When
relevant, acceptable as an adjective (lowercase) when writing
about any of the original people of Europe, north Africa or
the Middle East. Don't use as a singular noun. For
plurals, phrases like white people, white students
and white officers are preferred. Avoid
Caucasian as a synonym for white, unless in a
quotation. When in doubt about how to refer to a person's
race or cultural or ethnic identity, ask the person in
question what is preferred. See black, capitalization, race.

who, whom Often
confused. Who does something, and whom has
something done to it. Use whom when someone is the
object of verb or preposition: The man to whom the car
was rented did not fill the gas tank. Whom do you wish to
see?

A preposition (such as to, at, by, for, from, in, toward,
upon and with) often comes just before
whom: Who does something to whom.
Who is the word in all other uses, especially when
someone takes an action as the subject of a sentence, clause
or phrase: The man who rented the car did not fill the
gas tank. Who is still here?

To test for correctness: Who equals he, she
or they while whom equals him, her
or them. Replace who or whom in
the sentence with one of those pronouns. If it sounds wrong,
it probably is. See that, which, who,
whom; us,
we.

who's,
whoseWho's is a contraction for
who is or who has, not a possessive:
Who's using the cellular phone? Who's been eating
my radishes? For the possessive, use whose:
I do not know whose galoshes these are.Whose may refer to things as well as people: The
shopping mall, whose customers come from miles around, began
charging for parking.

Wi-Fi
Trademark used to certify that wireless computer-networking
devices will work together. When used, clarify its meaning
with phrases and words like computer network, internet
access, and wireless.

will,
would Often confused. Use will when
expressing a certainty. Use would when noting that
something is conditional, that it will happen if something
else happens first. The stadium will cost $362
million means the stadium has been approved by
taxpayers, or the stadium board is omniscient and knows it
will be approved by taxpayers (a real leap of faith). The
stadium would cost $362 million means taxpayers
haven't decided yet if building the stadium is worth $362
million. See can,
could.

Also, beware of saying something will happen unless
you have total control or a crystal ball: The meeting is
scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. or The meeting is
scheduled for 7 p.m., not The meeting will begin at
7 p.m.They plan to leave on Friday, not
They will leave on Friday.

-wise No
hyphen when the word means "in the direction of, in the
manner of" or "about": lengthwise,
otherwise, slantwise, clockwise. Avoid contrived
combinations: The department rates high
efficiencywise. Instead, say: The department has a
high efficiency rate. Or: The department is very
efficient.

World
Wide Web The shorter web is acceptable
on first reference when the internet context is clear. Also,
web address and web browser (two words,
lowercase web), but webcam, webmaster, webfeed,
webpage, website. Use website, not
webpage, when writing about a site with more than
one page. Also, when writing about a website, use its name
instead of its web address -- Facebook, not
Facebook.com -- except when directing readers to the
website. Also see email, homepage, internet, intranet, online.

Refer to a web address as a web address, not as a
uniform resource locator or URL. Follow the
spelling and capitalization of the website owner.

When possible, avoid placing periods (and most other
punctuation marks) after a web address; a reader may think
mistakenly that the punctuation is part of the address.
Instead of ending a sentence with a web address and then a
period, for example, separate the address and the period with
a phrase like on the web after the address--or place
the address within brackets, <like this> or [this].
Other typographical treatments--such as color or
boldfacing--are useful to separate web addresses (and email
addresses) from other text and punctuation.

If an address breaks between lines, split it before a slash
or a dot (a period) that is part of the address;
don't use a hyphen unless a hyphen is part of the
address.

Here are examples of a recommended style for web addresses:
http://home.wavecable.com/~garbl/stylemanual/ and
http://garbl.blogspot.com/--with no http:// before
an address that begins with www. See underlining.

Xerox
Trademark for a brand of photocopy machine. Commonly
misspelled as Zerox. Don't use Xerox as
a verb or noun to mean copy, photocopy,
copy machine or copier. Use one of those
words instead: The assistant made a photocopy, not
The assistant made a Xerox.

years Use
numerals without commas: In 2004 a disastrous earthquake
hit the region. Use an s without an apostrophe
to show spans of decades or centuries: 1790s, 1900s,
'90s.

Years are an exception to the rule against beginning a
sentence with numerals: 1994 was a wonderful year.
See dates, months, numbers.

It's not necessary to include the year when a phrase
refers to a month and day within the current year: The
conference begins May 24 in Sedona, Arizona. But do
include the year with dates in past or future years--set it off
with commas: The conference began on May 24, 2017, in
Philadelphia.

If it's necessary to spell out a year, avoid using
and within the number: two thousand one,
nineteen sixty-eight.

year to
date No hyphens unless used as an adjective:
year-to-date sales. Except for charts and graphs,
avoid abbreviating as YTD. Also, consider using
simpler so far instead of to date.

yet Like the
conjunctions and, but and so, yet
is a useful, correct transition word at the beginning of
sentences--instead of regardless and in spite
of. For emphasis, yet may be followed by a
comma. See and, but; in spite of the
fact that; so; thus.

yoke, yolk
Sometimes confused, especially yolk for
yoke. Use yoke when naming the wooden beam
used for joining two oxen or other animals to pull a heavy
load. Animals and people can also be yoked, though
the harness holding people together is typically symbolic.
Use yolk when writing about the cholesterol-rich
yellow center of an egg.

you By using the
pronoun you, you suggest immediacy and directness
between you and your reader. But make sure you and the reader
know who you is. And avoid using you if it
sounds accusatory or insulting. Also, always use a plural
verb with you, even when you is singular,
referring to only one person: Nate, I know you are sick.
You alone have understood. You both are busy. See
I; Myths and Superstitions of
Writing.

your, you're Often
confused or misspelled. And computer spellcheckers won't
catch the mistaken substitution of one of these homonyms for
the other. Your is the possessive form of the
pronoun you, meaning "belonging to you,"
while you're is a contraction of "you
are."

zeitgeist Capitalize the name
of the excellent coffee shop in Pioneer Square, Seattle. If
you use this German noun in other ways, lowercase it; it
means "the spirit of the age," or, more clearly,
"the general thought, feeling, ideas and outlook of a
particular generation, era or place."

ZIP
code Use all caps for the abbreviation for
Zone Improvement Program, but always lowercase the
word code. Don't put a comma between the state
name and the ZIP code: Seattle, WA 98126-2225. The
U.S. Postal Service created the ZIP code abbreviations below
for use only in mailing addresses. See state names for
standard abbreviations.